There’s a good chance you’re reading this on your phone or tablet right now. Most of us can’t imagine going very long without looking at a screen these days. With this thought in mind, photographer Eric Pickersgill created a brilliant photo series, “Removed” that captures our addiction to these devices. To create the haunting images, Pickersgill had his subjects perform activities we see every day and then he removed the tablet or phone from their hands but had them hold their stance and stare as he took the pictures.

Pickersgill was inspired to do this project after watching a family interact at a Cafe in Troy, NY. He shared the experience on the project’s website.

“Family sitting next to me at Illium café in Troy, NY is so disconnected from one another. Not much talking. Father and two daughters have their own phones out. Mom doesn’t have one or chooses to leave it put away. She stares out the window, sad and alone in the company of her closest family. Dad looks up every so often to announce some obscure piece of info he found online. Twice he goes on about a large fish that was caught. No one replies. I am saddened by the use of technology for interaction in exchange for not interacting. This has never happened before and I doubt we have scratched the surface of the social impact of this new experience. Mom has her phone out now.”